The Pocatello Round has been something Luke Nelson dreamed about for more than 20 years. At its core it is a route that follows the skyline of Pocatello, Idaho with a start and finish at the entrance of the Mountain View Cemetery near the historical Brady Chapel. The concept of the Pocatello Round is loosely based off of the famous Rounds in the UK, like the Bob Graham or the Ramsey Round. It is, at least to Luke, the logical route around the peaks that surround Pocatello. After long dreaming of the route, and a couple of failed attempts at completing it, He saw the need for community and support to help realized the goal. As he thought about it, it became clear that the true essence of the Pocatello Round needed to include gathering community around a runner as they seek to experience the depth of a significant physical challenge while seeking to complete the loop. On June 21, 2024, with the support of a wonderful crew and pacers, Luke completed the Pocatello Round in twenty hours and thirty one minutes. A dream became a reality. Now, with the proof of concept in place this challenge awaits any brave soul that would like to experience it for themselves. Luke hopes to use his website ( https://lukenelson.run/pocatello-round ) as a resource for runners as they prepare for the challenge, a hub to help connect runners with crew and pacers, and a place to keep track of finishers of the Pocatello Round to memorialize their experience on the route.
In addition to those seeking FKTs, those seeking to be officially finishers of the Pocatello Round the following criteria must be met:
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Runners should share their intention to attempt the route in advance with the Pocatello Round Community
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The attempt should include crew and pacers in order to hold to the essence of the Pocatello Round as a community event.
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Start and finish should be documented by photos of the runner and crew.
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GPX file of the route should be submitted to assure completion of the entire route.
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Anyone who completes the Round in a single push will be considered a finisher and recognized as such. Runners who complete the route in under 24 hours will receive a custom Pocatello Round Buckle.
All finishers, including those who set or lower the FKT, will be tracked on the Pocatello Round Website. Finishers of the Pocatello Round should strive to assist future attempts of the round during both the preparation and actual run as part of their contribution to the Pocatello Round Community.
